Nike announced Tuesday it supports the Freedom to Marry and Religious Protection Initiative in Oregon, and that the company has created
the Nike Equality PAC, a foundation to raise money in support of marriage
equality.

The PAC begins with $280,000: A
$100,000 contribution from Nike and another $180,000 from Nike executives.

Nike Equality PAC will work with Oregon United for Marriage, the campaign set up by initiative-backer Basic Rights Oregon, the state's major gay rights lobby, on how best to support the initiative and spend PAC money.

While Nike could have simply issued a statement supporting gay marriage in Oregon, Remuzzi said the company chose a different approach.

"We chose to set up the Nike Equality PAC so Nike had an avenue to support campaign efforts that are directly related to winning marriage equality in Oregon," she said in a written statement. "Also ... it is important that our company's contribution only support efforts related to marriage equality versus other political issues or ballot measure campaigns, and we want to offer this option to our employees as well."

"Nike has just stood up for marriage equality
in an unprecedented way, with a monumental financial contribution to support
the Freedom to Marry and Religious Protection Initiative," Marshall said in a written
statement. "Nike has been a leader for marriage equality, and this incredible
move puts Nike out front among Oregon businesses who are taking a stand for
winning the freedom to marry for Oregon's same-sex couples. We are so proud and
grateful for their generous support."

Other companies and organizations linked to sports have come out in favor of the gay marriage initiative.

Columbia Sportswear chairman Tim Boyle announced last month that the company was supporting the initiative. Boyle's and Columbia's position, first reported in Willamette Week, was soon followed by announcements of support by the Portland Trail Blazers, Timbers and Thorns. Their support was soon followed by Adidas America, based in North Portland.

While Nike's announcement follows those others by about month, the company has a long history of support for equality in general and this initiative in particular, Remuzzi said in a statement.

"We led efforts starting last June to get other businesses to support the marriage equality intitative including co-hosting a breakfast with Basic Rights Oregon, drafted and circulated a CEO level coalition letter and were instrumental in building support at the Portland Business Alliance and Oregon Business Association," Remuzzi said.

Nike's statement issued Tuesday afternoon says:

Nike is fully supportive of the initiative to create marriage equality so our employees are treated fairly and with respect in the workplace and the community.

We are committed to diversity and
inclusion and strive to treat our employees equally. We believe that
diversity drives innovation and allows us to attract and retain world class
talent. For Oregon businesses to attract and retain the best
talent, we need fair and equitable laws that treat all Oregonians equally and
prevent discrimination."

To support the efforts to bring
marriage equality to Oregon, Nike has created the Nike Equality PAC to help
raise funds from Nike-affiliated donors in support of marriage equality. We
chose to set up the Nike Equality PAC so that Nike, and its employees if they
choose, have a specific avenue to support campaign efforts that are directly
related to winning marriage equality in Oregon.

The news release included a
synopsis of Nike's history of equality:

Nike was one of the first
companies nearly 20 years ago to extend benefits to partners of either gender.
In 2000, the company extended those benefits to the dependents of domestic
partners.

In 2005, Nike was a national
business trailblazer in supporting Oregon's groundbreaking legislation to
secure employment non-discrimination for the LGBT community and civil unions
for same sex partners. In 2007, Nike built an Oregon business coalition to help
successfully pass the state-level nondiscrimination and civil unions
legislation.

Nike has been a long-time
supporter of federal employment nondiscrimination legislation, and was also one
of the lead companies to sign onto the business community amicus brief earlier
this year before the US Supreme Court supporting the end of federal marriage
discrimination and enabling recognition of same-sex civil marriage at the US
federal government level.

Nike has supported marriage
equality and LGBT non-discrimination legislation in other US states.
Earlier in 2013, Nike began to help build business community support for
the proposed Oregon initiative, the Freedom to Marry and Religious Protection
Initiative, which would extend the freedom to marry in Oregon to same-sex
couples while protecting religious institutions' ability to perform marriages
consistent with their beliefs.